Suffolk Class AA baseball is loaded with pitching talent

There’s no need for an analytics team to figure out the keys to winning in baseball. It all starts on the mound, with the strength and depth of the pitching staff, the most important component of any team.

Suffolk County has been a prime area for college and professional pitching prospects over the past 10 years. This year is no different as a bevy of Division I college prospects get on the bump.

“We’re in a colder region in the northeast and the pitchers develop more quickly than the hitters,” said Smithtown East coach Ken Klee. “Pitchers are way ahead of the hitters. No one likes hitting a heavy inside fastball in 38 degrees. If you can put together a staff with some depth that can pound the zone, stay inside and pitch to location, you’re going to have quite the season. We have a lot of depth this season and that’ll be our advantage.”

There is no shortage of top notch pitching in Suffolk. The pitching rich reside in the Class AA at Ward Melville, Commack, Smithtown East, Newfield, and Bellport.

“We can’t win just on the strength of our arms, we’ll still need some timely hitting,” Ward Melville coach Lou Petrucci said. “But in the playoffs, it becomes an arms race. It’s who can use their pitching staff the wisest.”

Ward Melville may have the inside track in that arms race. The Patriots have become a major league mill for pitching prospects. The Patriots have seen three pitchers drafted in the professional ranks, in Steven Matz (Mets, 2009), Anthony Kay (Mets, 2016) and Ben Brown (Phillies, 2017) in the past nine years. And Joe Flynn, the Gibson Award winner as Suffolk’s top pitcher, is currently a junior third baseman at Princeton University.

“We’ve had a few pitchers,” laughed Petrucci. “The importance of top line pitching cannot be understated.”

Ward Melville boasts a trio of pitchers that possess ace capability. They will rely on lefthanded junior Max Nielsen, a UConn commit, to anchor the staff. Senior lefty Chris Buehler, headed to LIU-Brooklyn, and junior righty Ethan Farino give the Patriots the strongest rotation on Long Island.

Nielsen and Buehler had five wins each last year and Farino is a blossoming star. The Patriots grind through League I by shutting down opponents. Those three pitchers had a combined ERA of 1.63 and 107 strikeouts in 78 innings.

Smithtown East may have the most arms but the starting rotation is still a question with five vying for the starter’s roles.

“It’s not a problem, it’s a motivating factor for them to push each other and be a top guy,” Klee said. “It’s great to have competitiveness within the ranks. And if a guy struggles we have a guy that can step right in.”

Senior righty Mike Hennessey and junior righties Nick Harvey and Doug Goodwin and junior lefties Will Kennedy and Michael Storms are all in the starting mix.

“We’ll split games early on and keep guys fresh and healthy,” Klee said. “We’re not playing to win one game now. We’re playing to win the big games at the end of the year.”

The Newfield staff has shown glimpses of greatness. Senior righties Bobby Vath, a Rhode Island commit, and Kyle Johnson, a Stony Brook commit, pack an overpowering 1-2 punch.

“Our challenge will be run support,” said Newfield coach Eric Joyner. “Our staff has shown the ability to win big games. And we’re deeper than the first two with Ryan Wappaus and Chandler Giovinco on the mound.”

Newfield hosts Copiague in the League III opener Monday at 4 p.m. The Wolverines could meet one of Suffolk’s top pitchers in senior lefty Franklin Parra, who is this year’s big arm interest for the MLB amateur draft.

Commack graduated its top two pitchers but senior James Cardinale and Trevor Rosenlicht and juniors Jake Krzemienski and Drew Silverman will help the defending Class AA champions reload.

And then there’s Bellport to round out the top five Class AA teams. They have senior righties Chris Baumann and Anthony Jacabacci with junior Andrew Veit in a solid rotation.

“I’m pleased with our pitching and if everyone is healthy we can make a run,” said Bellport coach Bill Batewell.

Klee added when the look around the county plenty of teams have that one ace that ruin a playoff run.

Those Class AA blue-chip pitchers are Brentwood senior Justin Aviles, Hills West junior Aidan Tornquist, a Fordham commit, Sachem East junior Roman Dorosh and Connetquot junior Joe Savino.

The Class A landscape, especially League VI, will change with the addition of playoff contenders East Islip and Hauppauge. The top pitchers to watch in Class A are Redmen junior Chris Palmer, Harborfields senior Gavin Buda and sophomore Jack Greco, Rocky Point senior Joe Grillo and junior Rob Milopsky, Bayport-Blue Point senior Josh Monturo, Kings Park senior Ben Sacks, Sayville junior Brock Murtha.

In the Class B-C-D, Center Moriches is the favorite with a staff that includes senior Liam Pulsipher, a Stony Brook commit, and junior Dave Falco, a Maryland commit. Mattituck, the defending Long Island Class B champion, has junior Bryce Grathwohl, who went 6-2 as a sophomore. Southold’s senior Luke Hansen looks like to lead the Settlers back to the Class C LI title. He had 87 strikeouts last year. And Stony Brook’s hard-throwing sophomore Joe Wozny, is a UConn commit.

The landscape is littered with dominant pitching in Suffolk.

By Gregg Sarra

gregg.sarra@newsday.com@Gregg_Sarra

Gregg Sarra is Newsday's high school sports editor and has been on the beat since the mid-1980s.